Aishling the Airstream Update No. 031

 Well. 

It's hard to believe that we've had our new-to-us #AishlingtheAirstream 

[Livin' the Dream] 

for A YEAR --> and we've already camped with her

 in over 30 places!!

Most recently at 

Henry Horton State Park 

in Chapel Hill, Tennessee

with our Music City Airstream friends - 

From their website: "Henry Horton State Park was constructed in the 1960s on the estate of the former governor of Tennessee, Henry Horton. The park is located on the shores of the historic Duck River, one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Remnants of a mill and bridge operated and used by the family of Horton’s spouse for over a century may be seen today on the Wilhoite Mill Trail.

The park offers several lodging options, including a lodge, eight cabins, 56 RV campsites, 10 tent campsites, nine primitive campsites, and three backcountry campsites. There are also three group campsites available. The Restaurant and Lounge at Henry Horton are a destination for travelers and locals."

 

It was a rainy fall weekend - but we still had a blast. 

The rally hosts were ready!

These photos are in no particular order 

[that's becoming a theme for me...] 

They were able to borrow some tents so we had a wonderful covered area for all the activities - including meals, crafts, and game time -

We painted ceramic trees and campers - such a great activity. And always a good way to visit and get to know each other better.

Group photo!

We enjoy our friends in this club so much!!

We enjoyed visiting with new friends - and some we've known a while -

 

[and having the tents to keep the rain off us was very nice!]

We gathered there often!

 

There was also 'business' talk 

as future rallies were planned... 

As well as enough time to enjoy a campfire 

[in between rain showers...]

And OF COURSE there's time for games and cards!

I learned a new card game and look forward to playing ti with family at home.

 

All-in-all it was wonderful weekend 

to wrap up our fall camping season with our #AishlingtheAirstream. 

She's had a busy year since her 'Gotchya' day 

one year ago today!

 

Thursday Three:

 

1. I sure enjoyed being with scrapbook friends last weekend... completed over 20 pages [yay me - lol] (Craig was fishing with his buddies. )

2. Enjoyed a couple of drive-through nativities here in our neighborhood...

3. And we continued our tradition of attending the local Messiah sing-a-long... we've missed the past couple of years, so it was nice.

 

 

Aishling the Airstream Update No. 030

  

This was such a fun weekend with our Alabama [and Pensacola] 

Airstream Friends at Mystic Springs Airstream Park!

 

I'll do my best to give you a quick overview -lol -  

I love the rustic feel of this park!

And the hosts and Pensacola Club Members are always so very welcoming and since this was a BUSY weekend full of viewing The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, Cheryl was sweet to prepare dinner for us each night!

Their clubhouse is wonderful!

We also had our officer change during this rally.

MUCH THANKS to the officers have served the club faithfully!

Outgoing president - John and Judy Burton

[we had a dress-up contest since it was close to Halloween -]

 

And, we enjoyed decorating pumpkin boxes - 

LOVED this idea!

 Of course the highlight of the weekend was seeing the Blue Angels and The ThunderBirds fly! [And kuddos to those who went the day before us for giving us ALL THE TIPS to make the day successful!] 

 

It was AMAZING to be so close to these giant planes we've only really seen occasionally from the beaches of Gulf Shores - 

 

We Loved every minute of it - beCAUSE.. we chose to stay in our car with air conditioning, our own picnic foods, and a cooler of drinks, lol.

We also took a day to enjoy our bikes in downtown Pensacola... 

 

it was SO FUN to ride along the water front, go to the Greek Festival, 

and shop around a bit...

 

It was already getting cooler at home - so it was wonderful to have warmer temps and still see flowers blooming and butterflies all around!

 

And have I told you lately how much 

I'm enjoying my [new-to-me] bike?

All in all, a great weekend full of shiney brites!

[It's always fun to gather with other streamers!]

And it's was nice to walk out to the meditation area for a moment in the early morning before we headed home....

- Just counting our blessings day-by-day...

We LOVE being on-the-go

but home is nice too.

#AishlingtheAirstream
 

#HardwickAdventures

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

 

[an edited repeat from past years...]

Pere' Noel, Christkindle, Father Christmas, Kriss Kringle, Sinterklas,

St. Nicholas

I was first introduced to St. Nicholas as a freshman in college when my dear friend Grace [whose grandparents on both sides of her family came to the US from the Netherlands] put a wooden shoe, filled with candy, outside my door on December 6^th. [Still have that shoe, btw.]

I’ve loved the idea of St. Nicholas ever since!

There’s a lot of fact and folklore about him today, but most believe he was a real person and that the idea of Santa Claus came from the acts of goodwill that he did.

[Random Acts of Christmas Kindness, if you will - ]

Here’s a link that tells his story briefly.
I’ve always wanted to have “Santa Claus” visit our boys on December 6^th and keep Christmas sacred [or, practically --at least spread out the gift-receiving a little for them], but differed to C’s wishes. So instead, for the last 27 years, our boys have always received a chocolate Santa on December 6^th. [Granted there were some years when I was out at 5 a.m. to get these Santas because of our crazy schedule! – But it was done!] 

This year? Let's just say they're on their way!

So, Happy St. Nicholas Day to you!

At our house Santa has always been pretend.

Our boys were never taught he was real, but more just a character of the secular celebration of Christmas [kind of like Mickey Mouse = celebration of magical place] who left gifts for them on Christmas morning. They’ve always known that Mom and Day were “Santa.” We’ve had a few Santa photos through the years [we have those Mickey ones too!] and we’ve had fun with it, but have always, always tried to help our boys see that
Jesus truly is the reason we have anything at all to celebrate in this life.
We hope that in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season you can take the time to see a tiny baby lying in a manger who died so we might live eternally.

And, oh - the peace [that passes understanding] that only He can give us 

as we live in this crazy world broken by sin...
What a hope we have because of Him!

Thursday THree:

 

 

1. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend - LOVE having all of our family together!

2. I'm going [extra] simple with Christmas decor this year - going with the mcm tree that requires very little time or effort ...

3. We're getting the coldest weather right now [it's in the TEENS at night right now!] and we're taking all the precautions... here's hoping for NO frozen pipes...

[And yes! I found the gingerbread man that Aldi allegedly took off the shelves... he's weirdly cute. lol]

Aishling the Airstream Update No. 029

 Millers Ferry COE

Camden, Alabama 

From the Rec. gov website: "Millers Ferry Campground, also known as East Bank, is located on scenic Dannelly Reservoir in Alabama's Black Prairie Belt. The reservoir sits on the Alabama River and covers roughly 27 square miles, boasting more than 500 miles of shoreline.This campground offers 42 family sites with electric hookups. 

 Amenities include flush toilets, showers, drinking water, laundry facilities and a dump station. A fishing dock, boat ramp, fish cleaning stations and playground provide additional recreation opportunities for guests. Natural Features: The Black Prairie Belt is characterized by rich, dark soils and a mosaic of rolling grasslands and dense hardwood and pine forests."

 

We decided to go into town and grab a bite to eat at [former] gas station restaurant / cafe. Unfortunately they had sold out of the meat & Three so we ordered off the menu... and it wasn't what we were hoping for... 

When we got to our campsite, we had this wonderful view 

of autumn trees across the lake  -There were lots of water fowl - including at least one pair of loons - so cool.

But, ALAS.

The mosquitos were out in full-force.

So we retreated inside where we enjoyed the view from all those windows. Have I told you lately how much I LOVE our windows? LOL - I'm sure I say it often...

 Our campsite was WONDERFUL. Nice and level with a great view - My sweetheart does such a great job picking out good sites for us!

And I love a mixture of manicured sites plus rustic surroundings!

It was fun to have a bit of spanish moss close by - but not too close - lol - 

Those no-see-ums will eat you up!

 

This was just a quick overnight as we were headed south

 [and it really only added about 30 minutes to our trip..] 

The next morning we enjoyed our yogurt and coffee out 

on our 'patio' before heading out. 

Our first time here - and it was nice. 

We'll be back, for sure.

Grounds are kept neat and tidy -

Internet was great. 

I don't have a review of the bath houses

because we never stopped in to use them.

[Love our #AishlingtheAirstream that meets all of our needs - lol]

 

Thursday Three:

 

1. We sure enjoyed a couple of days with our Bolton Family up in TN over the weekend... meals together, bowling, a little bike riding, and just generally being together.... Even with the underlying <constant> sadness without Sister... it was just so, so good to together.

 

2. Stayed overnight in the Shoals before bringing Craig's mother home with us for the holiday...

 

3. On Thanksgiving, we had a family pajama day! Enjoyed the parade on tv [no rain!]... biscuits... a card game [5 Crowns -- thank you Laura Valdez & Music City Friends]... and had slices of pie while we watched the end of the parade [lol]. Then DINNER and Christmas movies to call it a day.

#HardwickAdventures

 

{And oops, I'm mixing seasons... but I couldn't resist these winter flamingos, even though it's still ÀUTUMN here at our house.}

I recently enjoyed a weekend

 of Bible study and crafting with some gals closer to home

over at Holly Mountain Lodge in the North Georgia Mountains -

Meaning - I could drive there and have my own car and take as 

many supplies as I thought I might need. HA

 

The view from the lodge is beautiful!

And I love going out in the early morning to sit on the deck with my coffee -

 

The gals who hosted did a wonderful job helping each of us feel welcome and ready to dig in to some creative study!

We set aside time to study scriptures related to Advent and enjoyed creating a bit as we pondered His Word. 

These photos are random and in no particular order...

Paula had the lodge decorated and ready for Christmas... and it was very nice to just sit and enjoy the Spirit of Christmas [without the work <-- truth.] 

We did a few little gift exchanges throughout the weekend... 

One white elephant.. and a couple with a "secret sister"...

Paula ALWAYS treats us like queens - 

going above and beyond with wonderful meals, and treats, 

and comfy things all around! 

One evening we had a fun ice cream sundae bar -

it was delicious and we had fun creating our own special treat!

Side note: another special treat of the weekend for me was getting to spend time with one of my sweet high school friends! 

 

And yes, lots of us wore matching pajamas - lol - 

It was fun -

Of course, we had to take ALL the photos on that day! 

This was such a fun group of gals!

Some I've known for more than a few years...

Some I just met this weekend -

We enjoyed studying The Word, Bible Journaling, learning new techniques, creating mixed media, and -- we even completed an entire album to use for our December scrapbook. 

Much thanks to Cindy and all the planning she did 

to make this a wonderful weekend!!

And thanks to each of the teachers - Missy, Sloan, Becca!

We really did lean into the story of Jesus and how sweet life is when we trust in Him - 

 

I'm thankful He walks with us day-by-day...

And I'm thankful He puts wonderful women in my life that know His love and are willing to let Him use them to share with others!